This invention relates generally to seating furniture for children.
Furniture that incorporates so-called xe2x80x9cadaptivexe2x80x9d seating systems plays an important role in the lives of many children with disabilities. These systems keep children comfortable and secure while they are seated. Adaptive seating systems make it easier for children to breathe, eat and communicate.
Preschoolers with positioning problems often do not need full-support seating systems and do not use wheelchairs, but may require some supplementary support in a simple wheeled mobility base. Parents are also concerned about the cost, portability, versatility and appearance of specialty seats that are available for young children with disabilities.
Service providers and families often use makeshift adaptations for commercial strollers or high chairs to better position a child""s trunk, pelvis and head. Rolled towels and foam blocks are inexpensive solutions though parents complain about their long term utility, reliability and appearance. Parents and therapists have identified the need for an alternative positioning device that is inexpensive, is lightweight and addresses the shortcomings of these other approaches and technologies.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a support cushion for children""s furniture in which the cushion defines a seat cushion area and a back cushion area and has a seating surface that extends over those areas and is contoured to provide positional support for a child seated on the cushion. The cushion is flexible to permit variation in relative angular orientation between the seat cushion area and the back cushion area. The seat cushion area includes a raised barrier that extends transversely of the area at a location spaced forwardly of the rear of the seat cushion area for controlling the position of the pelvis of a child using the cushion. The cushion further includes a pair of side support elements that are capable of extending forwardly from respectively opposite sides of the back cushion area to locate against sides of the trunk of a child and cushion against side-to-side movement of the child.
The support cushion provided by the invention can be inserted into a conventional seating system such as a stroller, high chair, bath seat or the like and provides additional positional control beyond that provided by the seating system itself. In other words, the insert can be used with a conventional stroller, for example, and will provide additional positional support for a disabled child while retaining a substantially normal external visual appearance. This can be important in terms of avoiding or minimizing any stigma that may derive from the disability.
When used in commercial children""s seating systems, the cushion improves comfort and postural control by encouraging a child to sit upright, view and actively participate in their environment and use their hands more functionally to play and eat.
Although the cushion is particularly well suited for positioning children with disabilities, it can benefit all children by improving and augmenting the postural control offered by umbrella strollers and other children""s furniture.
Preferably, the support cushion is made from a foam material that is resilient while providing firm support. For example, the cushion may be made of a closed cell polyethylene foam material.
The cushion should be contoured to keep a child well-supported, improve posture, reduce slouching and promote longer sitting tolerance. As noted previously, the seat area has a raised barrier (preferably of constant height)-called the ischial shelf-that extends the width of the seat. This local deviation in seat elevation creates a bucketed area for the buttocks and helps to control rotation of the pelvis. The ischial shelf acts to keep the pelvis in a neutral position by preventing the ischial tuberosities from migrating forward causing slouching at the back and posterior pelvic tilt.
Side support elements (side pads) are also provided to support the upper trunk of the child. By placing the back of the cushion between the uprights of the stroller or chair, the pads are positioned inward to contact the trunk. This assists in maintaining a more upright posture.
A raised central portion may be provided on the distal section of the seat to assist in maintaining abduction of the legs, creating a more stable base of support and improved symmetrical positioning through the hips as well as placing the pelvis in a better functional position. This raised portion (or xe2x80x9cpommelxe2x80x9d) may extend locally beyond the seat""s distal edge to prevent abnormal patterns of seated posture.
A transverse slot located at the mid-point of the pommel may be provided to allow the crotch strap of commercial children""s furniture to be used to hold both the child and seat cushion in place.
Higher sides may be provided at the lateral edges of the seat help to hold the thighs in neutral rotation and proper alignment.